Partners
by RoadMart
Summary: The truth was, she didn't really know. She had never thought about it before. Why did she love Onee-sama so much? MikoKuro, oneshot, fluff.


**Hello there! Road here. It's been AAAAAAGES since I've put up any sort of material, but recently I re-read the DGM drabble I have on here and when I read the reviews of how much people liked my writing back then I was inspired to write something real quick! Since Railgun is my current obsession, I decided to do a little MikoKuro.**

**So here it is! Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

To say Kuroko was miserable was a crude understatement. At the moment, she felt like melting into nothing was better than existing in her current state. She was so distraught she barely registered the sun that was finally rising, nor the few students that wandered around the Tokiwadai campus. All she could think of was a question that lingered in her head…

"_Hey Shirai, why are you so into Misaka?"_

_The teleporter had nearly choked on her iced tea. She gave the long-haired girl a confused look._

"_Saten-san, that's not really something you should ask…" came the flower-haired girl awkwardly._

"_What ever do you mean?" the pink-haired girl countered in an almost offended tone. "Isn't it obvious?"_

"W_ell, actually, not really." Saten ignored Uiharu and leaned back in the booth. "I mean, I know you're roommates 'cus you wanted to be with her, but I dunno why you did that. It can't be just because she's a Level 5, could it?"_

_Kuroko scoffed. "I can assure you I am not such a simple girl to like someone solely based on their level." She dramatically placed her hand against her forehead. "I would love Onee-sama even if she was a Level 0 – no offense to you, of course."_

"_None taken," the girl chuckled. "So why then? She's kinda hot-headed, and the way she shocks you sometimes…I didn't think you'd be into that."_

_A devious smile flashed onto Kuroko's face for a moment – because to a certain extent, she did quite enjoy the shocks she received, as long as they weren't the ones that made her heart behave erratically for awhile (and not because of the pleasure) – but was quickly replaced with a more plain expression. "In fact, although I wish she would keep it in check a bit more, I am quite fine with Onee-sama's temperament."_

"_That still doesn't answer why."_

_There was a few moments of quiet. Saten stared eagerly at the teleporter, who seemed to be thinking very hard about this._

_After a few moments, Uiharu whined "Saten san…" a bit more urgent this time, because by now Kuroko's expression was growing dark._

_Saten only grinned. "Come on, Shirai, you must know why."_

_She was leaning over the table into Kuroko's face in an instant._

"_Why do you like Misaka?"_

"I…"

The teleporter groaned. That conversation had ended with the arrival of the girl they spoke of, luckily, but in truth…Kuroko couldn't answer. Not because she was too shy about it (she had proclaimed her love for Mikoto on several occasions, so defending it was nothing) nor was she angry or upset that the girl had the audacity to ask (sure they were friends, but her personal life was not something she discussed with those two), but rather…

Kuroko really didn't know why.

"Why I like Onee-sama…?" she mumbled to herself. It was loud enough that the empty dorm room bounced it around her ears a few times. Great, now it was even repeating in her ears…As if repeating it in her head was bad enough…

But she couldn't dodge this. Really, she couldn't come up with an answer. Why did she like her Onee-sama so? Why was she so infatuated with her? What was it that fueled her declarations of love, her constant attempts to deepen their friendship, and her unparalleled loyalty to the girl?

What was so great about the Electromaster, anyway?

A little voice in her head, the one she usually used to lecture her roommate, began to speak. _She has a very hot temper which can easily get out of hand. She can be oblivious to people's feelings and worries and causes problems because of it. She lets her emotions run her powers which can lead to disaster and, by extension, more work for us as a member of Judgment. Her sense of justice is always putting her in danger and sometimes others. And let's not forget how cold she is towards our advances._

A couple of girls, who looked to be a junior and senior, were walking out of the gates, happily laughing with each other. She pushed her head farther into her arms and glared at them.

"Onee-sama is such a child, and she doesn't care about my feelings at all…" She huffed. "What good is there in that?"

Suddenly she shook her head and patted her cheeks. _Now now, Kuroko, you're only focusing on the negative!_ She clenched her fists. _Think about how wonderful she is! We've got to have something!_

In one swift movement she stood up and returned the chair she was sitting in to her desk. Such sudden movements shook the nearby bookcase a little, and one of her books that had been carelessly left half on the shelf landed on the floor with a loud _tooph_. She looked over and, blushing slightly, realized it was her forbidden "Onee-sama Himitsu" album.

She sighed and went to pick it up. "I really should hide this a bit better…Saten-san found it so easily that one time." As she went to put it under her bed, she remembered that day. Onee-sama had invited the two over, not knowing she had planned to celebrate the one month anniversary since they had become roommates, and thanks to some snooping the album had been revealed to all three. She remembered how she had been chastised; a hand drifted up to her cheeks and there was a ghost pain of them being pinched. Luckily, with all that had happened she managed to stick it back on the shelf in a way that ensured the Level 5 wouldn't notice it again for awhile, and lied that she had discarded it. Now, however, it was apparent she should hide it better lest she risk it actually being destroyed.

That memory lingered in her mind. She remembered how unworthy she had felt in the presence of her classmates, who had been so useful to her Onee-sama while she could barely keep up. She remembered how much it hurt to think that she was so useless, just a burden that the Electromaster had to bear…But then she reassured her that wasn't the case.

"_We're going to be together from now on, so don't quit on me now."_

Her words echoed in her heart.

Suddenly, other memories began to surface.

She remembered a time when she had been so swamped with Judgment work that her Onee-sama made an excuse so she could take a day to rest. She remembered a day when everything had been putting her down, and her Onee-sama bought her a crepe just to make her feel better. She remembered all the battles they had been in and how they stood together, and how her Onee-sama had given her most sincere thanks afterwards.

And, of course, she remembered all the times the Level 5 had smiled so tenderly and held out her hand to her.

"_We couldn't split up if we tried."_

Slowly, a different memory came to mind.

A playground stretched out before her. Kids ran around chasing each other or climbed on bars. Some of them had formed little groups and were playing games; others were in pairs and were just having fun. There wasn't a single child without another.

Except for her. There she stood, alone on the edge, standing rigid as she watched the others play. No one even looked in her direction. A hard look dawned her face and she crossed her arms. _Hmph. Well, I don't need them. I can play on my own._ And so she ran off into the light.

She appeared in her classroom, now sitting at a desk and working on some hard math problems. As a teleporter, math was important in order to make the calculations to move something through dimensions, so she excelled in it. Although a bit challenging, these were nothing for her. She worked silently as the rest of the kids collaborated on them.

At one point she heard a few kids nearby struggling with the problems. She listened in and hear her name mentioned. "Maybe she can help us?" they said. She felt eyes on her – stares, as if they were trying to decide if it was a good idea. Soon they left her and she heard someone mumble, "I'd rather just work on them than ask her." There was a murmur of agreement. She only scoffed to herself and thought, _Well, that's their loss. I can do these on my own anyway._ She finished within the next few minutes and rushed up to the light.

Several memories like this continued to come up, all from her days in elementary school. Even some from her Judgment training came up; lonely days of teleport practice and silent lunches away from the other recruits scrolled by like frames on a roll of film. Eventually her days with Uiharu came up too, but even then she could see how detached she was from everyone. She remembered how her recklessness had hurt her sempai and put Uiharu's life in danger in the bank that day.

_I don't need anyone. I can do it on my own._

When she returned to the present, she realized she had aimlessly opened the forbidden photo album. She had flipped to the back of the book, to a section Saten had failed to reach when she had searched it. While the album was filled with pictures of her Onee-sama, this particular page only had one photo on it – and she was in it, too. The two had linked arms and were smiling – really, truly smiling.

Her hand passed over the photo ever so tenderly. Soon she was smiling just like she was in the photo.

"_We're partners, after all."_

"Of course…" She let out a chuckle. "Silly me. How could I have forgotten?"

Immediately her spirits lifted. She sighed happily and closed the album, tucking it safely under her bed. She looked over to the clock and noticed it was already almost noon. She had plans soon, so she should probably get going – although being late to something when you were a teleporter was rarely an issue. She made sure she was prepared before disappearing.

A few moments later, she was in the middle of a familiar park. She had appeared at just the right time, it seemed, because Saten and Uiharu arrived soon after she did. They greeted each other and decided to start towards their destination to meet their fourth party member. They fell to idle chat as they walked.

Soon, however, Saten leaned towards Kuroko. "So, Shirai-san, I just remembered…"

"Hm? What is it?" She could guess where this was going.

"Well, you know, you never answered my question."

"Which one? You have asked me a few questions in the past."

"Oh come on, you know which one!"

Uiharu panicked a little. "Saten-san, not this again!"

"You still want to know why I love Onee-sama, is that right?" Kuroko's expression was all-knowing.

The flower-haired girl seemed a little surprised, but Saten only grinned and jumped towards her, effectively stopping the group from walking. "Yeah I do! I do I do!"

The teleporter smirked. "Well, my dear Saten-san, that's quite simple."

Saten was practically on her toes as she waited.

Kuroko flipped some hair out of her face, and the most tender smile graced her lips.

"She showed me that she cares."

Just then, they heard someone call to them. Kuroko was the first one to lay eyes on the girl coming their way, and of course was the first (and only) one to pounce on her. The girl was ready to fend her off, but was instead given a relatively normal, if a bit emotionally charged, embrace.

"Um, Kuroko, you seem really…tame today," commented Mikoto a bit awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"Why I'm fine, Onee-sama," she said as she released her. "I simply remembered something important today, so I am in high spirits." She glanced back at Saten, who looked confused and maybe a little disappointed.

Mikoto shrugged. "Well, I guess as long as you're not embarrassing me it's fine." She smiled. "Let's go get lunch, huh?"

"Absolutely!" Immediately she clung to the Electromaster and rubbed her cheek against her arm. "I've been waiting all day to spend lunch with my beloved Onee-sama! How glorious it will be to enjoy your presence!"

"Geez, Kuroko, stop!" She tried futilely to push the girl off. "You act like we haven't seen each other in years! I'm right here, y'know!"

The teleporter giggled. "I know."

As they walked, a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. _That's right…so much has happened. I've faced a lot of danger, and sometimes things didn't go so well, but…she's been here to support me, even if she doesn't outright say it. She taught me it's okay to rely on others. She showed me what it's like to have someone to depend on._

She looked up. "Because we're partners, after all!"

Mikoto looked a little confused. It only lasted a moment before she smirked and nodded. She was promptly tugged off in the direction of their favorite café, yelling protests along the way, with Uiharu and Saten hot on their heels. Kuroko only grinned.

_And we'll always be partners. Right, Onee-sama?_

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**Aww, so cute, right?! I've seen a few doujins and fics that touch on Kuroko being a lone wolf and that Mikoto helped her grow out of that, so I thought I'd write about it too. I love exploring a character's thoughts like this so it was a lot of fun to write!**

**Also, the "one month anniversary" and the album is from the Railgun anime, so I tried to explain it a bit for those who haven't seen it. I was thinking of omitting it but the album was kinda important. (And really, we all know that's completely plausible for Kuroko anyway.) And p****lease excuse any errors as this was written at 2 AM and I'm just too tired to edit it properly, but I wanted to get it out here right away or else I'd forget.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing! Please feel free to leave a review; I haven't posted to an audience in a long while so feedback would be lovely!  
Oh, but flames will be used by Kuroko to bake a cake of love to give to Mikoto - in some sexy lingerie, of course~**


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